New Car: 2012 Bentley Continental GTC

Bentley played it safe with the 2011 update of its “entry-level” cash cow, the 2012 Continental GT, very subtly refining its exterior, massaging the prodigious twin-turbo W-12 engine, and shaving weight from certain components, but leaving the car’s aristocratic attitude intact. Thus the tone was set for the second-generation of variations on Conti GT theme, the rollout of which officially begins at the 2011 Frankfurt auto show with the Bentley Continental GTC ragtop.

The GTC is utterly unsurprising to behold, loyally following the coupe’s stylistic lead with its Gatling-gun headlamps and taut flanks. Ditto the decadent, four-place cabin featuring new, lighter chairs, modernized infotainment and navigation systems, and myriad leather/wood combinations. The 6.0-liter W-12 beneath its expansive bonnet produces exactly the same 567 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque as it does in the GT coupe (up from the 552 and 479 of the last GTC), its automatic transmission featuring the same six gears and quicker shifts, and the all-wheel-drive system recalibrated with the same 40/60 front/rear torque split.

And so the biggest difference between the two cars involves the GTC’s multi-layered cloth top, which folds down to let each of its four lucky occupants bathe in the sunshine as well as envious stares of the adoring public. The thickly padded roof pulls so tight over the cabin when raised that it looks like an architectural element instead of a fabric ceiling. Acoustic window glass and underbody panels are said to help optimize sound insulation—we hope that “optimization” means some sound from the monster motor will still be allowed inside. If not, then dropping the top should help.

Bentley says that the Continental GTC, with its added power and 154 fewer pounds of weight compared with the outgoing GTC, will be able to hit 60 mph in a scant 4.5 seconds (just 0.1 second behind the 2011 GT coupe) on its way to a very breezy terminal velocity of 195 mph (3 mph less than the GT).

Of course, we won’t know how the new GTC actually drives until we get some time behind the wheel, but after seeing it in the flesh during a private showing at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, we can say that it is simply gorgeous, simultaneously statelier and sportier than its lovely predecessor. Orders are being taken now, with prices starting around $215,000, and deliveries commence by the end of the year.

Thanks to: Car and Driver